Google Earth kicks ass

May 28, 2007 | Filed Under Mapping | Leave a Comment 

I went for a bike ride today in Boulder. Boulder is really a beautiful place. I love how you can just walk out your door and have tons of different things to do, whether run along the creek, play basketball outside, or get on a bike and be in the mountains within minutes. Then of course, there’s the places to go out at night, lots of options within walking distance. Anyway, I was playing around with Google Earth tonight, checking out the route I took. I used a separate site called walkjogrun to trace the actual route out but then wanted to look at the area in 3D using Google Earth. I was able to get the view just right and take a picture like the one below. The navigation within the program is simple enough but I just wish it were even more natural feeling - that would really give it the sense of being a fluid and interactive environment. Google has definitely improved on the easy of use from what the Keyhole folks had originally done, but I still think they could go a little further. It’s almost too simple now and lacks some of the nerdiness of the older versions. Anyway, cool shot below: